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September 3, 2019 – As part of the state’s
efforts to offer services and supports to help all schools improve, the Georgia
Department of Education’s Office of School Improvement is partnering with the
Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard University to offer training
for 10 school districts.
Proving Ground Institute, a program of
the Harvard CEPR, works with school districts to help them identify and test
solutions to specific challenges that are obstacles to student achievement.
Proving Ground uses a continuous improvement approach to help districts learn
to gather and use evidence rapidly and effectively.
“In Georgia, we are committed to
continuous improvement and providing high-quality services and supports so all
schools can prepare their students for successful futures,” State School Superintendent
Richard Woods said. “This partnership with Harvard’s Proving Ground provides a
crucial support to educational leaders as they address some of the most serious
issues facing their school districts.”
At a four-day Proving Ground training,
50 staff members from 10 districts identified
for additional support will engage in an intensive, four-day professional
development workshop with instruction, coaching, and action planning, and
receive additional coaching following the in-person workshop.
The training will focus on equipping
districts to select interventions, and how to know those interventions are
backed by evidence.
To put what they’re learning into
practice, the district teams will review their data on student attendance and chronic
absenteeism and learn about evidence-based strategies that have improved
student attendance. By the end of the institute, district teams will identify a
specific problem related to chronic absenteeism in their district, identify
solutions to address the problem, and develop a detailed action plan for a
selected solution they can implement in their districts.
The Georgia Department of Education’s
Office of School Improvement works to provide tiered and tailored supports to
help all schools improve — from Tier I Universal Supports offered every school
in the state, to more intensive assistance offered for identified
schools. This new partnership with Harvard is an addition to GaDOE’s menu
of offerings to support effective leadership in school districts, joining
efforts such as the Governor’s
School Leadership Academy, a partnership with the Governor’s Office of
Student Achievement and Gwinnett County Public Schools.
